


Peaches

by Aloysius



Category: Homestuck
Genre: M/M, Outlaws!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-15
Updated: 2013-02-15
Packaged: 2017-11-29 10:06:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,651
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/685742
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aloysius/pseuds/Aloysius
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Karkat lived a relatively quiet life - drunk evenings notwithstanding - and was happy for it to stay that way. He certainly didn't expect to be dragged into a robbery at gunpoint by an outlaw he just couldn't shake off.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Peaches

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by Holes.

Dave Strider, being an outlaw, quite enjoyed doing illegal things, and did them as often as he could. He robbed banks, grocery stores and bars, stole horses, mugged and attacked men - never women, and especially never children - but never murdered, and kissed almost every person he came across, regardless of race or gender. He particularly enjoyed the looks of shock and disgust on people's faces as he kissed men in public. He enjoyed the surprise of Sheriff Terezi Pyrope when she tried to arrest him and he kissed her, which he used as a chance to escape, but he didn't think she'd fall for that twice. He enjoyed kissing Karkat Vantas.  
Karkat worked in a small one room schoolhouse in a small town by the side of a lake. He was below average height, had a petite face and unruly black hair, and a definite attitude problem. Surprisingly he made quite a good teacher, and kept his temper in check around the children. If you asked the children they'd say he was fun and understanding. Ask the parents and he was stoic and polite. Ask the people he drank with and he was harsh and rude and angry. Ask Dave Strider and he'd says he was perfect, for exactly the last reason.  
He met Karkat in a bar in the small town he lived in. Dave was still pretty unheard of in those parts and nobody bat an eyelid when he walked in. Karkat was sat at the bar clutching a tumbler of Whisky and swearing at a tall pale man sitting on his left. Dave sat on his right and wondered if his olive coloured skin was because of the low light or maybe if he worked in the sun, and wondered when the last time he saw someone with amber eyes was. Karkat - of course, he didn't know he was Karkat at this point - glared at him as he sat down, as if he had no right to be there, and continued yelling at the man on his left, who had an unfortunate lisp. He soon learned that the man was Sollux Captor ("Now you listen here, Sollux Captor, I ain't...") and that he was a watchmaker ("you said you'd have it finished damn near two months ago!") and that he and the loudmouth seemed to be friends, despite all the shouting.  
It took a good while longer for him to learn that the loudmouth was Karkat Vantas and was a teacher and was twenty five years of age and had no family to speak of except a distant cousin in Minnesota, because Captor didn't talk much, but it wasn't for lack of trying. Karkat had gotten louder and louder as he got drunker and drunker, until finally Captor gave in, put his hat on his head and bid goodnight to everyone at the bar except Karkat. This was when he whirled on Dave.  
"You've been looking at me all night, and don't think I ain't seen you. What you want?"  
"Y'know, fer a teacher yer language ain't really all that great now is it?"  
"It's a damn sight better than yours!" He exclaimed, and demanded another drink. The bartender told him to go home. Dave gallantly hauled him from his seat and eventually learned where he lived to take him home. He passed out as soon as he hit the bed, and oddly enough Dave didn't take anything when he left.  
He saw him again the next day by the side of the lake with the children he taught, reading to them from an old, worn book. It was near midday and they'd taken shade under a small cluster of trees, some of the children with their feet in the water as they listened. He almost seemed like a completely different person, and barely remembered Dave at all.  
Dave first kissed him that night, when he robbed the grocery store. He didn't take much, just a little, to prove that he could, but he intercepted Karkat on his way to bar, put a gun to his head and dragged him inside with in.  
"Drinkin ain't good fer you." He'd chided, grinning right back at Karkat's murderous glare.  
He didn't really mean to kiss him, it wasn't so much fun without people's reactions, but Karkat wouldn't shut up and his fiery personality just caught Dave's attention in all the wrong ways, and he tasted of peaches.  
He did shut up after that, but only for a little while, and only until he punched him square in the face and broke his nose.  
He said nothing the next day but wouldn't meet Dave's eye, or the day after, or the day after that. For two weeks Karkat avoided Dave, even holding back on his drinking, until people started to talk and wondered why their favourite source of evening entertainment hadn't been entertaining them.  
He met Dave again in the bar, but after it was closed and without the gun. He was curious. Bored. Small town life only went so far. A little illegal felt good sometimes. He even admitted that maybe Dave felt good. He admitted he liked Dave's tongue in his mouth and Dave's hand between his legs and Dave's...  
Well.  
There was no going back from that, anyhow. He knew it was wrong but he damn near didn't care. It was thrilling in a dangerous sort of way that didn't happen in small towns.  
Sollux asked him why he had a limp and he said he'd fallen the last few stairs in his home and injured his back and leg. The doctor - a stern man named Equius - gave him something to rub into it to ease the pain. Dave broke into his house that night and rubbed it in for him, easing all of the knots and tension out of his back.  
Then he left.  
He didn't come back for two months, and by that time Karkat had forgotten the thrill of breaking the law and carried on teaching in his mild mannered way. He didn't go to bar anymore either, but if he had he would have met Dave again the night he came back, three nights before he broke into Karkat's house.  
Karkat punched him once for breaking in, and once for leaving. He then kissed him once for coming back and turned bright red.  
He limped the next day too, and finally received his watch from Sollux. This time he'd slipped on the muddy shore of the lake while taking a walk. Sollux didn't bother sending him to see Equius, but joined in cursing Karkat's apparent clumsiness.

Dave picked up a habit of leaving and returning. After the third time he began bringing expensive gifts as an apology, but Karkat had to mind where he had them as folks could be suspicious. He couldn't explain the clothes, of course the tailor knew she hadn't made it, but Ms Maryam seemed awful knowing, and complimented herself on her handiwork when she entered his house without knocking and caught him wearing it. He asked her to knock from then on, but she never gave him an answer. Instead she told everyone about the wonderful new red waistcoat she'd made for Mr Vantas and how splendid it was and how proud of her work she was. He inevitably had to wear it, and so wore it to the annual summer picnic.  
That was when Dave came back for the final time.  
This time he went big. He arrived with a stagecoach, and intended to fill it. While everyone was at the picnic, he began loading Karkat's finery; his silverware and fine clothes, the admittedly exquisite pocketwatch made by Sollux, his small amount of savings, his books, and anything else that would be of use. Then he went to the bank, the bar, all the stores in town, and the finest house overlooking the lake. This belonged to the Ampora family, and whilst he had no quarrel with the two youngest boys, both taught by Karkat, the man of the house was cruel and intimidating and selfish. The family owned almost all the land, including the lake, and Dave would've stolen that too if he could. Finally, as the sun was setting and people were lazily drifting home, he and Karkat slipped into the stagecoach and left the town far behind. 

With everything he took he had more than enough for a new home. Two in fact, which was helpful in a way because moving right in with Karkat would've been pushing it a little. The house Dave chose was cheap and tiny and falling apart. When it did fall apart, Karkat proved himself to be a good, kind neighbour by offering to share his much larger home until Dave could get back on his feet. It worked like a charm.   
For the most part, he began to behave himself. Any trouble he caused was in the city, away from their home, and while Karkat shook his head disapprovingly at the pick-pocketing and flirting and bar fights, he couldn't fight back a smirk. 

They had to up and move twice because Dave couldn't help himself, and it wasn't long before Karkat couldn't either. He picked it up along the way, and if Dave ever got caught I'm the act, kissing him proved to be a damn good way of distracting people so they could run.  
Terezi Pyrope started to follow them, and sometimes it almost felt like she let them get away. She didn't plan to catch them; she enjoyed chasing them too much.  
But then the Ampora boys grew up, and the youngest had a taste for being a sheriff. 

He didn't remember Karkat teaching him to read and paint and sing. But he did remember hanging him.

Until he was shot by a blonde outlaw with two rings on his wedding finger and a fine red waistcoat.


End file.
